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Mott guard Malik Albert leads nation in scoring but is still pushed to reach 'another level'

Mott Community College takes on Macomb Community College

Mott's Malik Albert, center, looks for a pass as he faces Macomb's Logan Merrick, left, during a basketball game between Mott Community College and Macomb Community College on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at Mott Community College's Ballenger Field House. Michelle Tessier | MLive.com

View full sizeMott's Malik Albert smiles as time runs out during a basketball game between Mott Community College and Macomb Community College on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at Mott Community College's Ballenger Field House. Michelle Tessier | MLive.com

He's as smooth as Billy Dee Williams in 1970s
motion pictures and laid-back like platinum rapper Snoop Dogg on the
hardwood.

Putting the ball in the hole is something that comes naturally for
the southwest Detroit sophomore.

That's why Albert leads the National Junior College Athletic
Association's Division II in scoring with 27.1 points per game in his second
year in Flint.

"It feels good to be No. 1 in anything, but when you lose it doesn't
mean anything," Albert said nonchalantly after a team practice on Monday
afternoon. "If I'm averaging 28 points then hit 20 for a couple of games in a
row, then it doesn't mean nothing anymore. I'm not surprised with me being the
No. 1 scorer in the country this year."

Albert is more confident, experienced and adept at leading MCC's
program with a fiery 23-year hall of fame coach in Steve Schmidt who's never
satisfied and pushes him every step of the way. Albert came out of the gate
putting up big numbers but has struggled a little bit in the last few games.

He's
trying to work his way through a rough patch, which included a season-low 12
points against Macomb last Wednesday, Jan. 8, then 21 points in a road loss to Wayne
Country on Saturday, Jan. 11, but MCC's coaching staff is doing everything they can to get
him back in the same rhythm he was in for the first 12 games when Albert put in 30 or more points six times.

"It's time to take it to another level," Schmidt said. "It's no
secret that over the years I've really loved good guard play, so Malik is along
the lines of some of the top guys that I've had, but yet he's not there yet.
Those guys, the John Taylors and Jeremie Simmons led our team to championships
and Malik hasn't done that yet.

"He needs to take it to another level to be in that group,"
Schmidt added. "He may be on track to be one of the leading scorers that we've
had here in two years, but I don't pay too much attention to that. Instead, I pay
attention to how they develop as players and trying to get them ready for the
next level."

The Bears are 11-3 and ranked sixth in the nation but are trying
to regroup from the Wayne County loss this past weekend. As good as Albert has
been, Schmidt wants him to play even better because the team relies on him so
much, especially with freshman forward Ruston Hayward still out with a knee injury.
Hayward has missed the last seven games and is listed as day-to-day after
undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 27 but has no timetable on his return.

MCC has two tough conference games scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15, versus
St. Clair and Saturday, Jan. 18, on the road against Oakland. OCC is the MCCAA Eastern
Conference's top-ranked team at 13-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference. Albert
needs to regain his shooting touch for the New Year to give the Bears a chance to
pull out two crucial wins.

"Once you set your standards so high, you always have to come out
and play to those standards," said Albert, who holds college offers from at
least 10 Division I programs. "A 20-point game for me is so average now and is
bad for me so I need to come out and play to the level that I know I'm capable
of."

St. Clair's game versus Mott will start at 7:30 p.m. in Ballenger
Field House on MCC's campus. The Mott-Oakland battle is scheduled for 3 p.m. on
Saturday.

"This is a character-building week," Schmidt said. "We have a
tough home game and a tough road game. It's not going to be any easier going to
Oakland on Saturday, but before we even worry about that we have a good St.
Clair team coming in here on Wednesday."